Save the Planet, Save Money Too

Hard-wired five-minute idle timers will probably begin appearing on trucks in 2014. You'll have two choices come winter: freeze your hiney off, or get an APU. This week we provide a list of idle-cost calculators so you can start budgeting for the new EPA rules.

On-board climate control may become a necessity if 5-minute idle timers take hold. Photo by Jim Park

There has been lots of talk already centering on how truck makers will equip trucks so that they meet the fuel consumption reduction targets mandated recently by the EPA and NHTSA. Among the suggestions is hard-wiring a five minute idle timer to the engine so that it can never idle for more than five minutes -- no matter how hot or cold it might get outside.

That will get the truck makers some credits toward their fuel economy goals, but it might leave you out in the cold.

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Below is a bunch of links to online idle cost calculators so you can get a handle on the cost of idling (or how much you'll save by not idling). If you're planning to buy an APU of some description, you'll have a starting point to begin calculating the return on your APU investment. Some of these are proprietary, and some are generic fuel cost calculators. Most will prove useful in some way.

And if you don't know your fuel costs to the tenth of a penny, some of these calculators will help with that too.

By the way, if you're aware of any other useful anti-idle or fuel economy calculators, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page to submit the details and I'll update the list. And thanks.

This idling cost calculator will help you estimate the financial and environmental costs of unnecessary vehicle idling, based on the types of vehicles you have and their present operating conditions: E3 Fleet Idle Cost Calculator